Over the past 8ish months, I’ve had the privilege of experiencing my freshman year of university. I’ve had hard exams, fun nights, interesting trips to DC, and even a major change (technically two, but undecided engineering to computer engineering doesn’t really count). This new chapter of my life so far has been very fun and very enlightening for me. Not only have I felt independent, but I’ve also learned so much about myself, which I find really valuable. Not to mention my classes have also been (mostly) really cool, and I’ve also learned new things too.
I feel blessed to have had pretty good classes this first year, but my favorite one was not one I expected to enjoy. I wasn’t actually supposed to take this class this semester, but a couple days before it started, I got an email saying that one more section of ENEE101 was added, and of course I had to take it so I could be on track for my major. I quickly scrambled to open testudo to register for the class and only after I registered did I realize it had an 8 am start. Going into this semester, ENEE101 (a.k.a. intro to electrical & computer engineering) was the class I looked forward to the least. According to Planetterp, it seemed like one of those intro classes that everyone in the major had to take and would be like a filler class. Furthermore, a friend of a friend said it was really boring. For me, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
I’m writing this the night before my last ENEE101 class and I have to say I’m quite sad it’s coming to an end. From looking at a classmate’s brain signals to playing car soccer with robots, this class really did introduce me to many aspects of computer and electrical engineering, and in a fun way too. My classmates and TA are also really cool and completely enhanced my learning experience. I guess all of this is to say that the best things sometimes come from places you don’t expect them. Still though, they do often come from places you do expect, like ENES100 (intro to engineering design).
During my freshman year, I’ve admittedly not taken advantage of the opportunities granted to me as much as I could’ve. I may have been nervous to join clubs or ask teachers about their research. Honestly, it’s pretty scary to try new things, especially when you feel like you’ve stayed in your comfort zone most of your life. While it feels safe, sometimes keeping too comfortable actually limits what you can do. Imagine your favorite athlete didn’t prioritize their sport. Where would they be today? I’ve learned to think of myself as someone who can do anything he wants, as long as he allows himself.
Still, I do feel scared of going out and doing things, but then I realize that pretty much everyone here wants each other to succeed. If you tell your professor you don’t feel good about your upcoming test, they’re not going to be happy, they’re going to help you study—that’s what they’re here for. It’s all about applying that principle to every aspect of your academic career. You can learn so much from your peers and mentors, but will you allow yourself?
I know I just said that staying too deep in your comfort zone can limit you, but honestly there’s a good balance you need to meet so that you can stay sane while also granting yourself the liberty to try new things. I personally find my comfort in my friends and big sister. While most of my friends at UMD are from high school or even earlier in my life, I’ve started to make some really fulfilling friendships with a few people from my major, but mostly with people I’ve met playing soccer. Spending time with my friends is my time to relax, have fun, and destress. I’m really grateful for my friends who are really funny and passionate people who help shape who I am. My sister is like the ultimate sense of home away from home at school. We can literally talk about anything, which comes in handy when either of us need to rant about something. I’m going to miss her a lot after she graduates in a few weeks, but I know she’s always just a phone call away.
My introduction to college life has honestly felt a little bit easier than I initially expected. I’ve been blessed to have good classes and a great support system. Still, I will admit that the biggest challenge that came with college was time management. It’s not that I don’t have enough time to do everything I need to; it’s that I need to make sure to actually do valuable things with that time. A college campus can be quite a distracting place, so I quite often procrastinate on studying until the last minute so that I have more time for more fun things. It’s been really helpful to go to the library or other studious places to do my work to minimize my distractions, and I recommend that anyone who has trouble focusing does the same.
I have to say, despite the few hurdles this year, my first year of college has been amazing. I feel much more accomplished in my major, I feel like I actually know what my future plans are, and most importantly, I feel very connected to myself.